The actor rape case in which a trial court will pronounce the judgment on Monday would go down in the annals of the history of Kerala as a unique legal battle, that shaped the socio-political and cultural discourses in the State.
The case invited wide attention considering the fact that a young woman actor was allegedly raped in a moving vehicle and the conspiracy was allegedly hatched by actor Dileep. The alleged involvement of the actor in the crime and the reported gruesome manner in which the woman was sexually attacked ignited a series of protests across the State. Its aftershocks were felt in the movie world, which triggered the formation of the Women in Cinema Collective (WCC) under the aegis of actor Parvathy Thiruvothu, actor-director Revathy and a few others for working towards “building a safe, non-discriminatory and professional workspace for women in cinema through advocacy and policy change.”
The WCC members, including Remya Nambeesan, Parvathy Thiruvothu, Rima Kallingal, and Geethu Mohandas, resigned from the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists in 2018, protesting against the decision of the association to reinstate Dileep to the association, terming it an anti-woman position.
The mounting public pressure forced the State government to appoint a committee, led by former Kerala High Court judge K. Hema, to look into the issues faced by women in Malayalam cinema.
Though a few criminal cases were booked against some actors for alleged sexual violence based on the depositions made before the committee, most of the women refused to give statements to a special investigation team formed for probing the cases.
However, some of the recommendations of the panel such as forming internal complaints committees on film sets and providing basic amenities for women are considered positive outcomes of the recommendations. The State government has initiated deliberations for framing a cinema policy.
Meanwhile, the crisis in AMMA was exacerbated with its office-bearers Edavela Babu and Sidhique being booked for alleged sexual misbehaviour. The executive committee of the organisation stepped down following the developments. The subsequent elections witnessed women being elected to the top posts of the organisation, a first in its history.
On the legal front, a prolonged legal battle is likely to follow with the parties to the litigation most likely to approach the higher judiciary for relief, according to legal experts.
The judgment of the trial court is also likely to stir fresh legal and public debates, considering the gravity of the issues and the celebrity status of the accused as well as the survivor involved.
Published – December 07, 2025 09:46 pm IST
